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The Fearing #3
Air and Dust
John F.D. Taff's apocalyptic novel, The Fearing, continues in Book Three: Air & Dust as Adam and Jelnik make their way to a prophetic meeting and a mysterious darkness is creeping inward from the horizon, further threatening the lives of all who remain.
Amid the devastation of his Georgia church, a Baptist minister comforts an orphaned girl suffering from amnesia. All she knows is her name. Together they confront the darkest of fears as they make their way to a gathering point for the remnants of society.
After a disastrous night of attacks at an abandoned airfield, a group of survivors plans its exodus. But their hopes are dashed when an autocratic leader arrives to seize control. Fears are one thing, but could this man represent something far worse?
Amid the devastation of his Georgia church, a Baptist minister comforts an orphaned girl suffering from amnesia. All she knows is her name. Together they confront the darkest of fears as they make their way to a gathering point for the remnants of society.
After a disastrous night of attacks at an abandoned airfield, a group of survivors plans its exodus. But their hopes are dashed when an autocratic leader arrives to seize control. Fears are one thing, but could this man represent something far worse?
- GenresHorror
120 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2019
6 people are currently reading
110 people want to read
About the author
John F.D. Taff
85 books258 followersJohn F.D. Taff is a multi-Bram Stoker Award short-listed dark fiction author with more than 30 years experience, and more than 100 short stories and seven novels in print.
He has appeared in Cemetery Dance, Eldritch Tales, Unnerving, Deathrealm, Big Pulp and One Buck Horror, as well as anthologies such as Hot Blood: Seeds of Fear, Hot Blood: Fear the Fever, Shock Rock II, Lullabies for Suffering, Gutted: Beautiful Horror Stories, Behold!, Shadows Over Main Street 2, Horror Library V, Best of Horror Library, Dark Visions Vol. 1, Ominous Realities, Death's Realm, I Can Taste the Blood and Savage Beasts. His work will appear soon in The Seven Deadliest and I Can Hear the Shadows.
His novels include The Bell Witch, Kill-Off and the serialized apocalyptic epic The Fearing. Thunderstorm Books and Grey Matter Press will release a one-volume version of The Fearing in 2021, in limited edition hardcover, soft cover and digital. Short fiction collections include Little Deaths: The Definitive Collection and Little Black Spots, both published by Grey Matter Press.
Taff's novella collection, The End in All Beginnings, was called one of the best novella collections by Jack Ketchum and was a Stoker Award Finalist. His short "A Winter's Tale" was also a Stoker Finalist.
His upcoming anthology Dark Stars, a tribute to that seminal '80s work Dark Forces, will be published by Tor/Nightfire 11/2/21.
His website is at johnfdtaff.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnfdtaff.
He has appeared in Cemetery Dance, Eldritch Tales, Unnerving, Deathrealm, Big Pulp and One Buck Horror, as well as anthologies such as Hot Blood: Seeds of Fear, Hot Blood: Fear the Fever, Shock Rock II, Lullabies for Suffering, Gutted: Beautiful Horror Stories, Behold!, Shadows Over Main Street 2, Horror Library V, Best of Horror Library, Dark Visions Vol. 1, Ominous Realities, Death's Realm, I Can Taste the Blood and Savage Beasts. His work will appear soon in The Seven Deadliest and I Can Hear the Shadows.
His novels include The Bell Witch, Kill-Off and the serialized apocalyptic epic The Fearing. Thunderstorm Books and Grey Matter Press will release a one-volume version of The Fearing in 2021, in limited edition hardcover, soft cover and digital. Short fiction collections include Little Deaths: The Definitive Collection and Little Black Spots, both published by Grey Matter Press.
Taff's novella collection, The End in All Beginnings, was called one of the best novella collections by Jack Ketchum and was a Stoker Award Finalist. His short "A Winter's Tale" was also a Stoker Finalist.
His upcoming anthology Dark Stars, a tribute to that seminal '80s work Dark Forces, will be published by Tor/Nightfire 11/2/21.
His website is at johnfdtaff.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnfdtaff.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
September 30, 2019
My review of THE FEARING: AIR & DUST can be found at High Fever Books.
The biggest problem with reviewing each installment of a serialized novel as good as John F.D. Taff’s The Fearing is that you risk running out of superlatives pretty early on. Air & Dust is the penultimate chapter in Taff’s post-apocalyptic epic and having already heaped praise aplenty on the prior installments, what’s left to say now that we’re three-quarters through this story and moving into the endgame? (Unless Taff really drops the ball in the fourth and final book, that is, in which case I’m certain to have a few choice words…)
If you’ve been reading these books as they release, then you’ve already gotten the gist of what Taff is up to here and are familiar with the characters. If you haven’t been reading The Fearing, then you’ve been seriously missing out and need to correct this tragic oversight immediately and get caught up before November’s grand finale comes out. Really, what the hell have you even been doing?
Air & Dust allows the readers a small bit of breathing room as Taff deepens the relationship between Reverend Mark and the mysterious amnesiac, Monday, two new characters introduced in the last installment who promise to be vitally important as we reach The Fearing’s climax next month. Mark and Monday find shelter at a deserted military base dubbed Camp Straggalot by the other survivors that have come to call the base home but, as they quickly learn, there is little safety to be found in numbers.
In most post-apocalyptic narratives, people banding together would ensure a certain amount of security, a sort of social safety net from which they can strike back at evil and begin rebuilding America. However, in Taff’s world, more people tends to mean more danger. In an apocalypse built around the foundational fears of humanity itself and the individual phobias of each survivor, each person is a potential existential threat to those around them, as well as themselves, as their fears manifest into violent reality to wreak havoc and destroy everything and everyone around them. If you’re terrified of being attacked by rabid dogs or a roving band of cannibals, then maybe being in the middle of a sparsely populated safe haven isn’t such a great idea after all. This is further compounded by the introduction of a new threat, in the form of an authoritarian soldier who, like all narcissistic dictatorial wannabes, promises he’s the only one who can save the country (gee, where have we heard that one before? Hmmm…).
Book Three is all about arranging the various chess pieces that is Taff’s bands of survivors and those who seek to undermine them. While much of Air & Dust is devoted to getting to know Mark and Monday, we do get some brief glimpses of teenage heroes, now accompanying Rich’s busload of survivors as they make their way toward Memphis. Adrian and Jelnik, too, are on the road to what appears to be their final destination. Much of this book, in fact, is all about people getting to where they need to be for the grand finale in Book Four. It’s all set up for the climax to come, but it’s no less engaging and compulsively readable than the two entries that came before, and there’s some neat little action sequences as Straggalot’s resident’s find new things to fear and worry about.
While Air & Dust gives us some answers to various questions, like how and why this particular (and strikingly original) apocalypse began in the first place, it also leaves us with a few questions. Not the least of these, of course, is how in the hell is Taff going to conclude this book in a novella as slim as the installments we’ve received thus far? If Book Four keeps on track with the page count of its preceding books, it boggles the mind how we could possibly get a satisfying conclusion in only a hundred pages. It seems like there’s still a lot left to do, in terms of both plot, characters, and conflicts, that I can’t help but wonder if we’re not due for some kind of curve ball with book four, in terms of either a much larger page count than we’ve gotten thus far, or perhaps an announcement of a second serial to follow. Obviously we’ll find out for sure soon enough, but part of the fun with this serialized story is staying on our toes, wondering what comes next. It’s clear, too, that Taff and Grey Matter Press have had a lot of fun toying with us readers and our expectations, gleefully stringing us along in what might be the greatest example yet of publishing’s sadomasochistic relationship with an audience. I’d be lying if I said I haven’t enjoyed every single bit of it, though. And now that I’ve finished Air & Dust, it’s back to jonesing for the next fix, waiting for Book Four and all of whatever it entails. Waiting, waiting, waiting…
[NOTE: I received an advance copy of this title from the publisher.]
The biggest problem with reviewing each installment of a serialized novel as good as John F.D. Taff’s The Fearing is that you risk running out of superlatives pretty early on. Air & Dust is the penultimate chapter in Taff’s post-apocalyptic epic and having already heaped praise aplenty on the prior installments, what’s left to say now that we’re three-quarters through this story and moving into the endgame? (Unless Taff really drops the ball in the fourth and final book, that is, in which case I’m certain to have a few choice words…)
If you’ve been reading these books as they release, then you’ve already gotten the gist of what Taff is up to here and are familiar with the characters. If you haven’t been reading The Fearing, then you’ve been seriously missing out and need to correct this tragic oversight immediately and get caught up before November’s grand finale comes out. Really, what the hell have you even been doing?
Air & Dust allows the readers a small bit of breathing room as Taff deepens the relationship between Reverend Mark and the mysterious amnesiac, Monday, two new characters introduced in the last installment who promise to be vitally important as we reach The Fearing’s climax next month. Mark and Monday find shelter at a deserted military base dubbed Camp Straggalot by the other survivors that have come to call the base home but, as they quickly learn, there is little safety to be found in numbers.
In most post-apocalyptic narratives, people banding together would ensure a certain amount of security, a sort of social safety net from which they can strike back at evil and begin rebuilding America. However, in Taff’s world, more people tends to mean more danger. In an apocalypse built around the foundational fears of humanity itself and the individual phobias of each survivor, each person is a potential existential threat to those around them, as well as themselves, as their fears manifest into violent reality to wreak havoc and destroy everything and everyone around them. If you’re terrified of being attacked by rabid dogs or a roving band of cannibals, then maybe being in the middle of a sparsely populated safe haven isn’t such a great idea after all. This is further compounded by the introduction of a new threat, in the form of an authoritarian soldier who, like all narcissistic dictatorial wannabes, promises he’s the only one who can save the country (gee, where have we heard that one before? Hmmm…).
Book Three is all about arranging the various chess pieces that is Taff’s bands of survivors and those who seek to undermine them. While much of Air & Dust is devoted to getting to know Mark and Monday, we do get some brief glimpses of teenage heroes, now accompanying Rich’s busload of survivors as they make their way toward Memphis. Adrian and Jelnik, too, are on the road to what appears to be their final destination. Much of this book, in fact, is all about people getting to where they need to be for the grand finale in Book Four. It’s all set up for the climax to come, but it’s no less engaging and compulsively readable than the two entries that came before, and there’s some neat little action sequences as Straggalot’s resident’s find new things to fear and worry about.
While Air & Dust gives us some answers to various questions, like how and why this particular (and strikingly original) apocalypse began in the first place, it also leaves us with a few questions. Not the least of these, of course, is how in the hell is Taff going to conclude this book in a novella as slim as the installments we’ve received thus far? If Book Four keeps on track with the page count of its preceding books, it boggles the mind how we could possibly get a satisfying conclusion in only a hundred pages. It seems like there’s still a lot left to do, in terms of both plot, characters, and conflicts, that I can’t help but wonder if we’re not due for some kind of curve ball with book four, in terms of either a much larger page count than we’ve gotten thus far, or perhaps an announcement of a second serial to follow. Obviously we’ll find out for sure soon enough, but part of the fun with this serialized story is staying on our toes, wondering what comes next. It’s clear, too, that Taff and Grey Matter Press have had a lot of fun toying with us readers and our expectations, gleefully stringing us along in what might be the greatest example yet of publishing’s sadomasochistic relationship with an audience. I’d be lying if I said I haven’t enjoyed every single bit of it, though. And now that I’ve finished Air & Dust, it’s back to jonesing for the next fix, waiting for Book Four and all of whatever it entails. Waiting, waiting, waiting…
[NOTE: I received an advance copy of this title from the publisher.]
Read
October 2, 2019Writing up a review for Cemetery Dance! Coming soon!
October 9, 2019
“The thing’s mouth was open wide, as if it had unhinged like a snake’s. Inside were row after row of sharpened teeth, an obscenely pulsating tongue darting over them. Everything–the creature’s teeth, its lips, its cheeks–were stained red, smeared with blood, extravagant amounts of blood. Blood dripped from its chin, blood ran down its neck, soaked into its soiled white shirt. It twisted its head at them, gnashed its teeth, and blood flew in a speckled foam from it.”
This is just over 100 pages, so I’ll do my best to keep this short. And as much as I try to avoid spoilers in my reviews, please be warned that there may be a few in this if you haven’t read the previous two installments because it’s quite difficult to do when you’re elbows deep in the trenches. Alright?
Alright.
“The world was on fire, flames stretching across the landscape, receding into the distance. It looked as if they had driven directly to the gates of Hell.”
Air and Dust starts where Water and Wind left off, mainly focusing on Mark (the Reverend) and Monday (the mysterious amnesiac.) They find themselves at an abandoned military base, Camp Straggalot, with roughly 200 other survivors who have set up camps in tents and any other structures they were able to locate. They have no power, no cell phone signal, no radio and what little supplies they’ve managed to scrounge up aren’t going to last long. Plus there is the slight matter of Monday and the fact that she has no discernible injury and may or may not be telling the whole truth about what happened to her before the hurricane.
It was the worst of times, it was the end of times. Supervolcanoes, devil dogs, plagues, riots, tornadoes, planes falling from the sky, vampires, swamp monsters, floods, shadow people, werewolves, a thick band of darkness creeping across the land, murderous campers and even NAZIS. This is brutal, gory and oh-so demented! Goddamn.
These books read incredibly fast, not only because they are short, but the frenetic pacing is like a blunt force to the face. Over and over again. Although Air and Dust does slow down the action in the beginning, it never feels like there is a lull with the storytelling. Taff expertly moves pieces of the puzzle into place, carrying the story forward and building the anticipation of what is to come, but allowing the characters a moment to breathe.
Not only are these some of the best novellas I’ve ever read, but The Fearing is one of the most incredible apocalyptic stories out there!
Just.. hurry up and get The Fearing shoved into your eye holes already! What the hell have you been waiting for? The finale is coming next month!
(Big thanks to Grey Matter Press for sending me a copy!)
**The quotes above were taken from an ARC & are subject to change upon publication**
This is just over 100 pages, so I’ll do my best to keep this short. And as much as I try to avoid spoilers in my reviews, please be warned that there may be a few in this if you haven’t read the previous two installments because it’s quite difficult to do when you’re elbows deep in the trenches. Alright?
Alright.
“The world was on fire, flames stretching across the landscape, receding into the distance. It looked as if they had driven directly to the gates of Hell.”
Air and Dust starts where Water and Wind left off, mainly focusing on Mark (the Reverend) and Monday (the mysterious amnesiac.) They find themselves at an abandoned military base, Camp Straggalot, with roughly 200 other survivors who have set up camps in tents and any other structures they were able to locate. They have no power, no cell phone signal, no radio and what little supplies they’ve managed to scrounge up aren’t going to last long. Plus there is the slight matter of Monday and the fact that she has no discernible injury and may or may not be telling the whole truth about what happened to her before the hurricane.
It was the worst of times, it was the end of times. Supervolcanoes, devil dogs, plagues, riots, tornadoes, planes falling from the sky, vampires, swamp monsters, floods, shadow people, werewolves, a thick band of darkness creeping across the land, murderous campers and even NAZIS. This is brutal, gory and oh-so demented! Goddamn.
These books read incredibly fast, not only because they are short, but the frenetic pacing is like a blunt force to the face. Over and over again. Although Air and Dust does slow down the action in the beginning, it never feels like there is a lull with the storytelling. Taff expertly moves pieces of the puzzle into place, carrying the story forward and building the anticipation of what is to come, but allowing the characters a moment to breathe.
Not only are these some of the best novellas I’ve ever read, but The Fearing is one of the most incredible apocalyptic stories out there!
Just.. hurry up and get The Fearing shoved into your eye holes already! What the hell have you been waiting for? The finale is coming next month!
(Big thanks to Grey Matter Press for sending me a copy!)
**The quotes above were taken from an ARC & are subject to change upon publication**
October 19, 2019
Book Three changes the formula of the previous two books by having some of the characters settle in a specific place for the duration of this volume. With this I still proclaim that John Taff is a bastard demon of a storyteller. Book Two ends on a heart shattering cliff hanger that we don’t get to see what happens next for fifty pages, fifty pages that are excellent to read. I do feel this my least favourite of the three books published so far. Book One is all set up and as such there isn’t the amount of depth into the stories characters as I would have liked. Book Two achieved this depth while maintaining the brilliant spectacle of Book One.
Book Three does a curious thing by including a section of short stories within its pages concerning characters we met there and then. All of it is perhaps the best writing in this series so far, because in a short period of time the reader is left devastated by what happens to these characters that have nothing to do with the overall story and have no connection to our heroes. It’s with the heroes that I feel this volume struggles. As previously mentioned Book Two ended on a heart-wrenching cliffhanger and we pick things up half an hour after it. Without spoiling anything the devastation I felt at the end of Book Two feels glossed over. There is no time to dwell or wallow in the heart break the characters and the readers feel. The story simply moves on. Yes, a character is angry at another for causing the cliffhanger at the end of Book Two, but it feels too quick a jump from grief to anger. If there is an flaw in this serialised series is that the writer does not dwell enough in certain parts of this series when emotional things happen to the characters. It’s like there is a fear that such things would slow the stories pace. Despite, this all three books have been some of my favourite things to read this year. My criticisms are small and I also belief we have to trust in the writers of stories to tell the tale they want to tell, a tale that will make these choices have more sense once Book Four is out.
Book Three does a curious thing by including a section of short stories within its pages concerning characters we met there and then. All of it is perhaps the best writing in this series so far, because in a short period of time the reader is left devastated by what happens to these characters that have nothing to do with the overall story and have no connection to our heroes. It’s with the heroes that I feel this volume struggles. As previously mentioned Book Two ended on a heart-wrenching cliffhanger and we pick things up half an hour after it. Without spoiling anything the devastation I felt at the end of Book Two feels glossed over. There is no time to dwell or wallow in the heart break the characters and the readers feel. The story simply moves on. Yes, a character is angry at another for causing the cliffhanger at the end of Book Two, but it feels too quick a jump from grief to anger. If there is an flaw in this serialised series is that the writer does not dwell enough in certain parts of this series when emotional things happen to the characters. It’s like there is a fear that such things would slow the stories pace. Despite, this all three books have been some of my favourite things to read this year. My criticisms are small and I also belief we have to trust in the writers of stories to tell the tale they want to tell, a tale that will make these choices have more sense once Book Four is out.
January 29, 2020
The best one so far. Great characters, I loved how the groups started to find each other and, oh, those fears were great in this third book.
November 29, 2019
Air & Dust is a change of mood from the first two parts of The Fearing and I loved it!
This was a really nice section of the story in which we got to know some of the characters better, especially Monday and Mark. I’m fascinated by the way her story is unfolding and the realisation (I think) of her part in the overall story arc, I’m very excited to see what is to come next for her.
There was also some really good insight into Adam’s reasoning and his dark plans. This part does give some answers but raises a whole lot of questions too.
A large chunk of Air And Dust was based at Camp Straggalot, where a group of survivors are camped out, as expected there are a real miss match of people that ordinarily wouldn’t have crossed paths all trying to survive together. I enjoyed the sharing of stories about the horrific things the different groups of people had experienced since this began. It soon becomes clear that there is no safety in numbers especially when a whole new fear arrives at the camp.
I remember thinking to myself at one point that Taff could really let go and have fun with this book, there is no end to the unimaginable horrors that can be inserted into this story, he seems to have certainly done that so far!
The concept of this ominous darkness slowly closing in on everyone is great, as a reader it gave me a real feeling of claustrophobia and that things are really coming to a head. I have a feeling of impending doom and I love it! This penultimate part of The Fearing has perfectly set up the final part and I can’t wait to get started! Bring on the Fear!!
Air & Dust was a cleverly written blend of scene setting, realisation and of course another tonne of terror from the King Of Pain!
Ok, I’m off to make a start on the final part of this epic story right now!
If you haven’t already you can check out my reviews of the first two parts on my blog -
Darkreads.blog
If for whatever reason you haven’t started your journey into this serialized novel as yet, go get yourself copies, this is a MUST for all Horror and Dark Fiction fans!
This was a really nice section of the story in which we got to know some of the characters better, especially Monday and Mark. I’m fascinated by the way her story is unfolding and the realisation (I think) of her part in the overall story arc, I’m very excited to see what is to come next for her.
There was also some really good insight into Adam’s reasoning and his dark plans. This part does give some answers but raises a whole lot of questions too.
A large chunk of Air And Dust was based at Camp Straggalot, where a group of survivors are camped out, as expected there are a real miss match of people that ordinarily wouldn’t have crossed paths all trying to survive together. I enjoyed the sharing of stories about the horrific things the different groups of people had experienced since this began. It soon becomes clear that there is no safety in numbers especially when a whole new fear arrives at the camp.
I remember thinking to myself at one point that Taff could really let go and have fun with this book, there is no end to the unimaginable horrors that can be inserted into this story, he seems to have certainly done that so far!
The concept of this ominous darkness slowly closing in on everyone is great, as a reader it gave me a real feeling of claustrophobia and that things are really coming to a head. I have a feeling of impending doom and I love it! This penultimate part of The Fearing has perfectly set up the final part and I can’t wait to get started! Bring on the Fear!!
Air & Dust was a cleverly written blend of scene setting, realisation and of course another tonne of terror from the King Of Pain!
Ok, I’m off to make a start on the final part of this epic story right now!
If you haven’t already you can check out my reviews of the first two parts on my blog -
Darkreads.blog
If for whatever reason you haven’t started your journey into this serialized novel as yet, go get yourself copies, this is a MUST for all Horror and Dark Fiction fans!
Read
September 30, 2019Review to follow...
January 2, 2020
Part three is out, and I have to say, it's my least favourite of the series so far. Not a whole lot happens, apart from a vampire attack, of which I wasn't fond of its resolution. Kyle mopes over Sarah, and meets up with the gang on the bus, and we discover that Adam, who's spearheaded the events in the series, has a fear of his own - a nemesis of sorts. Towards the end, a new character shows up, one who claims he will lead humankind through the Apocalypse, but he'll do it with an iron fist. Is he someone's fear, or is the end of the world bringing out the worst kind of people? We'll have to wait until book four to find out.
Full series review here - https://www.alwroteabook.com/2020/01/...
Full series review here - https://www.alwroteabook.com/2020/01/...
October 2, 2019
Book Three did not disappoint.
Each of these Fearing books are like the scary cool ride that just opened at an amusement park: wait, wait, wait in line, finally get on and hold on tight, scream through the speed, drops and flips and then all too quickly, come screeching to a halt back at the gate. All you want to do is to ride it again, but, there’s soo many rides. Lol.
The countdown until Book Four begins.
Each of these Fearing books are like the scary cool ride that just opened at an amusement park: wait, wait, wait in line, finally get on and hold on tight, scream through the speed, drops and flips and then all too quickly, come screeching to a halt back at the gate. All you want to do is to ride it again, but, there’s soo many rides. Lol.
The countdown until Book Four begins.
July 9, 2020
*I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for my fair and honest review.*
Book 3 of John F.D. Taff's The Fearing watches Adam and Jelnik make their way to a prophetic meeting and an oinous darkness is creeping inward from the horizon, threatening the lives of the survivors. After a disastrous night, the survivors plan their departure from the airfield, but their hopes are dashed when an autocratic leader arrives to seize control.
I lowered this book 1 star for a few reasons, but the biggest was verbose dialogue about the obvious. Book 3 seems like it is suppose to set up Book 4, but that is needless. There is just not a lot of action in this one and this makes me excited for the 4th book, but the lengthy dialogue seemed pointless to me.
Also, the more dialogue made the storytelling seem much different from the other 2 books. If you are going to write a serial or sequels for that matter, stay consistent. This had a much slower pace.
A positive is we get a look into seeing what exactly Adam is really up to and his dark secrets. Now the wait for book 4!
Book 3 of John F.D. Taff's The Fearing watches Adam and Jelnik make their way to a prophetic meeting and an oinous darkness is creeping inward from the horizon, threatening the lives of the survivors. After a disastrous night, the survivors plan their departure from the airfield, but their hopes are dashed when an autocratic leader arrives to seize control.
I lowered this book 1 star for a few reasons, but the biggest was verbose dialogue about the obvious. Book 3 seems like it is suppose to set up Book 4, but that is needless. There is just not a lot of action in this one and this makes me excited for the 4th book, but the lengthy dialogue seemed pointless to me.
Also, the more dialogue made the storytelling seem much different from the other 2 books. If you are going to write a serial or sequels for that matter, stay consistent. This had a much slower pace.
A positive is we get a look into seeing what exactly Adam is really up to and his dark secrets. Now the wait for book 4!
October 6, 2019
I don’t think I’m alone in saying that the end of Book Two absolutely crushed me, so I knew diving into AIR & DUST would be difficult, to say the least! (Lyrics to a certain Jefferson Starship song immediately popped into my head after reading that ending. My heart!)
I would recommend reading each book in the series close together, if possible. I have read a few books between Book Two and Three, so I needed to go back and re-read WATER & WIND before reading AIR & DUST, even though that ending is permanently etched into my memory. (Noooo timmee is aaaa goooood time fooorrr gooo… *ahem*) Hey, there’s a reason they call Taff ’The King of Pain’. ;) Bring on Book Four, I can’t wait to see how it ends!
If you haven’t started your journey into the serialized novel, THE FEARING, What are you waiting for?!
THE FEARING - Highly Recommend!
Thank you, John F.D. Taff and Grey Matter Press for providing me with an advance copy of THE FEARING: BOOK THREE – AIR & DUST in exchange for an honest review.
I don’t think I’m alone in saying that the end of Book Two absolutely crushed me, so I knew diving into AIR & DUST would be difficult, to say the least! (Lyrics to a certain Jefferson Starship song immediately popped into my head after reading that ending. My heart!)
I would recommend reading each book in the series close together, if possible. I have read a few books between Book Two and Three, so I needed to go back and re-read WATER & WIND before reading AIR & DUST, even though that ending is permanently etched into my memory. (Noooo timmee is aaaa goooood time fooorrr gooo… *ahem*) Hey, there’s a reason they call Taff ’The King of Pain’. ;) Bring on Book Four, I can’t wait to see how it ends!
If you haven’t started your journey into the serialized novel, THE FEARING, What are you waiting for?!
THE FEARING - Highly Recommend!
Thank you, John F.D. Taff and Grey Matter Press for providing me with an advance copy of THE FEARING: BOOK THREE – AIR & DUST in exchange for an honest review.
January 1, 2020
You will know the meaning of fear.
Because The Fearing was conceived and written as a single novel, my thoughts here will serve as a review of the story as a whole: Book One through Four.
I had no idea what I was getting into when I started this story. I’ve seen plenty of movies and TV shows, but I haven’t read many dystopian or apocalyptic novels. Only two come to mind - Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, which I love, and Stephen King’s The Stand, which I’ve never been able to finish. Yeah, yeah, I know. But King lost me at about the mid-point when the story shifted away from a government experiment gone wrong to a supernatural battle between good and evil. It felt like a bait and switch. I felt deceived.
Taff has no such issue here. The Fearing is pretty upfront about its supernatural origins and overtones. And it’s glorious. The inciting incident, an apocalypse triggered by the manifestation of humanity’s fears is a fresh take on this genre that hooked me as soon as I heard it. And in Taff’s capable hands, it’s a visceral experience.
I don’t want to say much more about the plot, because the less you know going in, the more enjoyable the story will be. But I will say the character work is top notch. From the protagonists, to the supporting characters, to the antagonists, they all feel like people I know or have met. They all felt real, and I shared in their sorrow, their pain, and their joy.
Lastly, I want to comment on the writing - the prose, the dialogue. It’s sublime. I tore through these four books and breakneck speed (one of them in only a couple days, which is crazy-fast for me, considering my schedule). And this was just as much due to Taff’s words as it was to the story. I was sucked in immediately by the prose and was pleasantly surprised to find I felt the same by the last page.
The Fearing creeped me out. It broke my heart. It had me literally yelling, “Hell yeah” more than once. This book is not to be missed. Buy all four volumes, right now, and dig in. You won’t be sorry.
Because The Fearing was conceived and written as a single novel, my thoughts here will serve as a review of the story as a whole: Book One through Four.
I had no idea what I was getting into when I started this story. I’ve seen plenty of movies and TV shows, but I haven’t read many dystopian or apocalyptic novels. Only two come to mind - Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, which I love, and Stephen King’s The Stand, which I’ve never been able to finish. Yeah, yeah, I know. But King lost me at about the mid-point when the story shifted away from a government experiment gone wrong to a supernatural battle between good and evil. It felt like a bait and switch. I felt deceived.
Taff has no such issue here. The Fearing is pretty upfront about its supernatural origins and overtones. And it’s glorious. The inciting incident, an apocalypse triggered by the manifestation of humanity’s fears is a fresh take on this genre that hooked me as soon as I heard it. And in Taff’s capable hands, it’s a visceral experience.
I don’t want to say much more about the plot, because the less you know going in, the more enjoyable the story will be. But I will say the character work is top notch. From the protagonists, to the supporting characters, to the antagonists, they all feel like people I know or have met. They all felt real, and I shared in their sorrow, their pain, and their joy.
Lastly, I want to comment on the writing - the prose, the dialogue. It’s sublime. I tore through these four books and breakneck speed (one of them in only a couple days, which is crazy-fast for me, considering my schedule). And this was just as much due to Taff’s words as it was to the story. I was sucked in immediately by the prose and was pleasantly surprised to find I felt the same by the last page.
The Fearing creeped me out. It broke my heart. It had me literally yelling, “Hell yeah” more than once. This book is not to be missed. Buy all four volumes, right now, and dig in. You won’t be sorry.
October 19, 2019
Book 3 of The Epic Serial Novel by John F.D. Taff is here, and it should not come as a surprise that it’s another excellent piece of work.
If you’re reading this review, I can only assume that you’ve read the first two books, or maybe you’ve been reading each review to see if the whole thing comes together. Book 3 continues our journey through the fear ridden apocalypse. One might think that having the bigger fears out of the way, the smaller fears might be more manageable. One would be sadly mistaken, as Taff shows us these individual fears can do some really damage. With WMD attacks and natural disasters out of the way, the road ahead is paved with the blood shed by ferocious creatures, beasts, and crazies. In addition to this, Taff takes his time to maneuver the key players towards what seems like will be an epic final showdown. If you’ve read the previous two books, the third is written just as wonderfully, Taff has a way with words that keeps the pages flowing.
With book 3, Taff keeps the fear level ratcheted up to high, while simultaneously setting up for a finale that promises to be epic. Please give me book 4 yesterday.
5/5
If you’re reading this review, I can only assume that you’ve read the first two books, or maybe you’ve been reading each review to see if the whole thing comes together. Book 3 continues our journey through the fear ridden apocalypse. One might think that having the bigger fears out of the way, the smaller fears might be more manageable. One would be sadly mistaken, as Taff shows us these individual fears can do some really damage. With WMD attacks and natural disasters out of the way, the road ahead is paved with the blood shed by ferocious creatures, beasts, and crazies. In addition to this, Taff takes his time to maneuver the key players towards what seems like will be an epic final showdown. If you’ve read the previous two books, the third is written just as wonderfully, Taff has a way with words that keeps the pages flowing.
With book 3, Taff keeps the fear level ratcheted up to high, while simultaneously setting up for a finale that promises to be epic. Please give me book 4 yesterday.
5/5
November 1, 2019
More twists and turns in this serialized apocalyptic thriller. I'm loving it. The characters aren't one dimensional and keep surprising me at every turn. I can't wait for the next part of this!
January 8, 2020
This third installment keeps up the pace set in the early two volumes. I continue to enjoy Taff’s grand apocalyptic epic, although I’m finding it hard to judge these middle segments on their own. They are definitely not stand-alone books (not that they were ever intended to be), and I don’t think I’ll have a clear opinion on the work until the final part. Which is happily the next to come.
September 28, 2019
Full Review To Follow
The calm before the storm.
After two volumes of rip roaring apocalyptic action, Air & Dust calms us down, let's the characters breath, discuss what's going on and prepare for what I'm expecting to be the mother of all showdowns.
A couple of fantastic set pieces are in Book 3. I wish one of them was fleshed out a little more but that'll be me being greedy.
As much as I have enjoyed this serialization it's when a lull in the story to build up to the finale is essentially all in one book I question the idea. Maybe splitting into three would have been better?
Am I being too harsh? Maybe.
Is Book Three paying the price for Books One & Two being so good? Possibly
I have every faith that Book Four is going to match my expectations. Book Three moved it's pieces skillfully and I'm excited to see what John's final move will be.
The calm before the storm.
After two volumes of rip roaring apocalyptic action, Air & Dust calms us down, let's the characters breath, discuss what's going on and prepare for what I'm expecting to be the mother of all showdowns.
A couple of fantastic set pieces are in Book 3. I wish one of them was fleshed out a little more but that'll be me being greedy.
As much as I have enjoyed this serialization it's when a lull in the story to build up to the finale is essentially all in one book I question the idea. Maybe splitting into three would have been better?
Am I being too harsh? Maybe.
Is Book Three paying the price for Books One & Two being so good? Possibly
I have every faith that Book Four is going to match my expectations. Book Three moved it's pieces skillfully and I'm excited to see what John's final move will be.
October 12, 2019
Wow things are really ramping up in the third serial novel in John F D Taff’s Fearing series. I love the serial format so much, it gives the reader something to look forward to “in the next installment”. After all the tumultuous events that have occurred in the first three parts, I can’t even imagine how John is going to wrap everything up in the next, final volume. Bring it on John Taft, I can’t wait to see how The Fearing comes through cataclysm to its final conclusion!
February 25, 2020
The third part of The Fearing continues with excellent writing and compelling characters. In his part all of the main characters are being drawn to the place where the climax will occur. There is a little less action but overall this is another excellent part and I’m excited to see how it all comes together in part 4. Great job.
September 29, 2019
Review to come soon.
September 15, 2020
“The Fearing, Book Three: Air & Dust” so far is my favorite instalment of the four-novella series by John F. D. Taff. The focus revolves mainly around Mark, whose story was introduced in book two, and the group of survivors he joins, settled in a camp on the ground of what used to be a military base. New and worse fears become true every night, plaguing the tents and their inhabitants. A few chapters are dedicated to the other three stories told in the first two instalments – two of which merged into one at the end of the previous book. The reason why I loved this one so much is because pieces of information are progressively revealed, unraveling fundamental links among all the stories: another novella only focusing on new and worse fears becoming true would have likely been boring, but, by unveiling these small as well as essential connections, the author puts the reader in a state of necessity to read the last book as soon and as quickly as possible!
January 31, 2020
This third volume of four moves the series into slightly darker territory, which I gladly welcome. Author Taff keeps up the fun momentum but never really brings the terror, scares, or atmosphere I was hoping for. Well written with a fascinating story, the narrative reads more like it was made for young adults instead of adult horror. Which is fine, because the story holds up, but I was expecting something more vicious and adult. The beautifully dark covers make it seem as if there is no hope for the characters, but I never got the feeling that anyone was in real danger with Monday around. I did have a good time, but was disappointed in the paperback cover price at $9.99 for yet another novella length tale at barely a hundred pages. I just read another paperback from a publisher that was 459 pages for $7.99, so I know it can be done. That said, I'll be sure to pick up the fourth and final volume as this is still a strong series, just not as scary as I had hoped for.
July 19, 2025
Things have gotten bloodier, and our characters all more desperate. The country is absolutely coming to pieces, disaster after disaster tearing it apart. The darkness itself coming to consume us all. My only complaint here is that we have a character I feel like I’ve seen in both the other well known horror end of the world books, and while she’s different in some ways, she’s also 100% what we got from Swan and Mother Abigail in those stories. Really hope the last installment veers away from this and maybe the last big action of three isn’t also a repeat of those stories. Four stars for this one.
March 2, 2024
3 / 5 for 'The Fearing Book 3' by John FD Taff
An enjoyable continuation of Taff's horror series / split book 'The Fearing'. Exciting and intriguing with great dialogue and characterisation, but as with Book 1, it isn't very horrific as yet. Probably the dullest of the series, but still an enjoyable read though.
3 / 5
An enjoyable continuation of Taff's horror series / split book 'The Fearing'. Exciting and intriguing with great dialogue and characterisation, but as with Book 1, it isn't very horrific as yet. Probably the dullest of the series, but still an enjoyable read though.
3 / 5
March 1, 2020
This is a great series. Loving it.
One to go.
One to go.
November 21, 2023
3.75/5
September 1, 2024
The action is building to a good conclusion! I’ll never look at Graceland the same way again…
8 swatches of Jungle Room rug out of 10.
8 swatches of Jungle Room rug out of 10.
March 12, 2020
The fearing - Air and Dust
Summary:
The apocalypse continues and the survivors have pieced together what is going on. People's worst fears keep striking, becoming more specific each time. There is also a dark force beginning to take over the United States. No one knows what is moving around inside of it and they don't intend on finding out.
Personal opinion:
The Apocalypse becomes more intense as the remaining survivors begin to join forces and more fears are unleashed. The approaching darkness and cliffhanger ending do a great job of building excitement and anticipation for the next book.
Summary:
The apocalypse continues and the survivors have pieced together what is going on. People's worst fears keep striking, becoming more specific each time. There is also a dark force beginning to take over the United States. No one knows what is moving around inside of it and they don't intend on finding out.
Personal opinion:
The Apocalypse becomes more intense as the remaining survivors begin to join forces and more fears are unleashed. The approaching darkness and cliffhanger ending do a great job of building excitement and anticipation for the next book.
October 4, 2019
If I were to write a serialized novel, I'd imagine the hardest part would be pacing. As opposed to a 500 page continuous novel, each separate entry needs to grab the reader with the opening, keep their attention for the next 80 pages or so, and then end in a way that leaves you anxious for the next installment. It's not just any apocalyptic doorstop novel that could work as well as John Taff's The Fearing has so far.
Part 3 picks up with Mark and Monday, and finds them in a camp made up of survivors of the various events that occurred throughout the United States. We learn an awful lot about these two this time around, and glimpse just how important they may be to the final product. I appreciated (enjoyed seems inappropriate here) hearing about the other large-scale events that the Fearing unleashed but the characters we've been following weren't privy to. This camp is where we end up spending most of our time in part 3 and in addition to opening the reader up to a whole wide world of fears we get some major league foreshadowing about what's to come in the finale.
To my mind, this is the strongest entry so far at delivering straight up nightmare fuel. Part of this is due sheer variety. In a series that hits us with a wide number of different fears, this one gives us a taste of an everything-at-once barrage and a preview/hope for what's ahead. Without spoiling, there is one monster in particular that made my teeth hurt and will definitely rob me of a bit of sleep.
Despite spending a great deal of our time at camp, and meeting a new, formidable, and instantly unlikeable antagonist, we do get to check in with the other characters we've grown to care about. Taff does such a fantastic job of writing this meet-up in the aftermath of the events of book 2. The king of pain is pretty good at making us feel. Lest we forget Adam and Jelnik, Book 3 drops a pretty big bomb about their involvement before it leaves them to be revisited in Earth & Ember.
Ultimately, this installment does everything it needs to. It moves the story forward and gets our characters one more step toward their endgame, ups the anxiety in terms of what these horrors and fears can do and how they can manifest, and leaves its' readers, in equal measure, ecstatic over tackling the final part and wistful that it's almost over. Thankfully, book four is supposed to be about 200 pages. The end is just about nigh, my friends, and I've loved every damn minute of it so far.
Part 3 picks up with Mark and Monday, and finds them in a camp made up of survivors of the various events that occurred throughout the United States. We learn an awful lot about these two this time around, and glimpse just how important they may be to the final product. I appreciated (enjoyed seems inappropriate here) hearing about the other large-scale events that the Fearing unleashed but the characters we've been following weren't privy to. This camp is where we end up spending most of our time in part 3 and in addition to opening the reader up to a whole wide world of fears we get some major league foreshadowing about what's to come in the finale.
To my mind, this is the strongest entry so far at delivering straight up nightmare fuel. Part of this is due sheer variety. In a series that hits us with a wide number of different fears, this one gives us a taste of an everything-at-once barrage and a preview/hope for what's ahead. Without spoiling, there is one monster in particular that made my teeth hurt and will definitely rob me of a bit of sleep.
Despite spending a great deal of our time at camp, and meeting a new, formidable, and instantly unlikeable antagonist, we do get to check in with the other characters we've grown to care about. Taff does such a fantastic job of writing this meet-up in the aftermath of the events of book 2. The king of pain is pretty good at making us feel. Lest we forget Adam and Jelnik, Book 3 drops a pretty big bomb about their involvement before it leaves them to be revisited in Earth & Ember.
Ultimately, this installment does everything it needs to. It moves the story forward and gets our characters one more step toward their endgame, ups the anxiety in terms of what these horrors and fears can do and how they can manifest, and leaves its' readers, in equal measure, ecstatic over tackling the final part and wistful that it's almost over. Thankfully, book four is supposed to be about 200 pages. The end is just about nigh, my friends, and I've loved every damn minute of it so far.
October 2, 2019
After the roller coaster that Taff put readers through with that ending from Part 2 of The Fearing, I was still reeling (and in a state of shock from the end), but also desperate to find out what happens next. I was also terrified to find out what else fate would have in store for the characters in Part 3. The final countdown is officially on for the forthcoming final part, Book 4, that will conclude this saga of epic proportions in November.
In this third volume, we get some more answers as to what has happened from an administrative standpoint, but also more questions about new developments (and that’s all I can really say without spoiling anything). The breakneck pace that suffused the first two parts of the story calms for a bit, allowing the reader to catch their breath, but not for too long. The action gets going again soon, and is pulse-pounding. We have new characters through with to experience more terror and dread. And it just gets worse.
There’s also some dark humour in the mix, which I appreciated. And I enjoyed that there was more time to expand with psychological parts explained, but not in pedantic or obnoxious way. It made sense given the circumstances as the characters who are reeling from everything they have been through try to piece together what exactly has happened.
As with the previous two installments, be prepared because Part 3 is another hit of the most addictive, page-turning Halloween candy. You will want to race through and by the time you get to the end, you’ll be chomping at the bit for even more. Trust me.
In this third volume, we get some more answers as to what has happened from an administrative standpoint, but also more questions about new developments (and that’s all I can really say without spoiling anything). The breakneck pace that suffused the first two parts of the story calms for a bit, allowing the reader to catch their breath, but not for too long. The action gets going again soon, and is pulse-pounding. We have new characters through with to experience more terror and dread. And it just gets worse.
There’s also some dark humour in the mix, which I appreciated. And I enjoyed that there was more time to expand with psychological parts explained, but not in pedantic or obnoxious way. It made sense given the circumstances as the characters who are reeling from everything they have been through try to piece together what exactly has happened.
As with the previous two installments, be prepared because Part 3 is another hit of the most addictive, page-turning Halloween candy. You will want to race through and by the time you get to the end, you’ll be chomping at the bit for even more. Trust me.
October 1, 2019
After the chaos and relentless action in the previous installments, Book Three takes a breather. We spend more time with Reverend Mark along with a host of other characters. Despite the initial feeling of safety in numbers, danger still lurks. And monsters can appear in many disguises. This time, it's in the form of a man proclaiming to be the saviour of all.
Book Three looks at the aftermath of Book Two and the effect it left on everyone involved. We also find out a little more of what Adam is planning to do and where he is going. At this point it looks like faith will come into play, but whether it's enough to fight the oncoming darkness remains to be seen. There is a suspenseful bridge scene and a scene involving two parents with a child that left me wrecked. Despite the feeling of the calm before the storm, Book Three still provides plenty of powerful moments.
Reading these installments of The Fearing has been an enjoyable ride and while I'm sad it's coming to the end, I'm really looking forward to Book Four. The compelling characters and fantastic setup is leading towards an incredible ending. I can't wait!
Thank you to the publisher for a review copy.
book blog | twitter | instagram
Book Three looks at the aftermath of Book Two and the effect it left on everyone involved. We also find out a little more of what Adam is planning to do and where he is going. At this point it looks like faith will come into play, but whether it's enough to fight the oncoming darkness remains to be seen. There is a suspenseful bridge scene and a scene involving two parents with a child that left me wrecked. Despite the feeling of the calm before the storm, Book Three still provides plenty of powerful moments.
Reading these installments of The Fearing has been an enjoyable ride and while I'm sad it's coming to the end, I'm really looking forward to Book Four. The compelling characters and fantastic setup is leading towards an incredible ending. I can't wait!
Thank you to the publisher for a review copy.
book blog | twitter | instagram
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